DE 299 01 614 U1discloses an electric switch for contact-less switching with a movable switch lever, to which is allocated a switching arm which has a magnetosensitive switch-position detection device and which is guided in a switch tack to produce a switching feel in each of the individual switch positions that is characterized by a perceptible engagement. The switch position detection device includes a magnetic signal transmitter coupled to the switch movement of the switching arm and a converter arrangement, which is stationary relative to the movement of the magnetic signal transmitter and which is composed of individual magnetoelectric converters connected to an evaluation unit. The switching arm engages with two functional and separated modules, wherein one module is a switch track, in which the switching arm engages and in which the switching arm is guided, and the other module is the switch detection device with the signal transmitter moving with the movement of the switching arm. The magnetic signal transmitter is coupled in an articulated way to the movement of the switching arm, such that a rotational movement of the switching arm results in a translating movement of the signal transmitter. Here the signal transmitter is constructed as a coded magnetic plate, whose coding is formed by several, differently magnetized tracks running parallel to each other in the movement direction of the signal transmitter and the electromagnetic converters of the converter arrangement are constructed for detecting these tracks. This switch is disadvantageous in the respect that it has a relatively complicated design.
In addition, DE 298 12 227 U1shows a device for detecting switch positions of a switch that can be activated mechanically with a guided switch element, which is held fixed in the different given switch positions. The device includes a signal transmitter allocated to the switch element and a number of sensing units corresponding to the number of switch positions to be detected, wherein one sensing unit is allocated to each switch position to be detected in an arrangement, such that in a switch position to be detected, the signals emerging from the signal transmitter are detected by the sensing unit allocated to this switch position.